“Man In The Mirror” came out in 2008 as a mixtape which has the UK producer Mark Ronson hosting as the Chicago MC Rhymefest forms a project which is based solely around the works of Michael Jackson from his time in The Jackson 5 up to as far as his final album, (whilst alive)” Invincible”, in 2001 in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Thriller”. It gets Ronson taking both snippets of musical performances from MJ in addition to some interviews used to make it sound as if ‘Fest is in conversation with the artist in all the interludes.
1. “The Cipher”
2. “Can’t Make It”
After using a snippet of Michael laying down some beatboxing (from an Oprah interview) you have Rhymefest getting down to one where he talks of what this album is about as he does a dedication to all of the artists’ great works as he jumps on some of some throwback material from him to get down to some fresh rhymes to get things excited and to get all of the listeners ready for what is to come.
**Five Stars**
3. “Thriller” (Lude)
4. “Get Up”
After a short skit where Michael and ‘Fest are hard to introduce the album, you have the artist getting right down into things in a lively manner as you have him jumping on top of some fly Breakbeats from some Jackson5 material alongside another of Mark Ronson’s associates, and in this case you get the DC rapper Wale showing some support and laying down his own flows to show what he has to offer it.
Here you have a track which is stated to be ‘The Jackson 5, featuring Rhymefest’ and this is just what you get as he guests on a classic jam from them (given in the title) as they take it right back to the seventies and show how to relay pull out the Funk and support the MC as he gets down to what he is best known for on top of some material which even pre-dates the time when Hip Hop was said to be ‘born’ in the Bronx.
**Five Stars**
6. “Flip it” (Lude)
7. “Never Can Say Goodbye”
After having the two of them converse (using old interview footage, Mark Ronson lays down some of the most exciting Hip Hop beats on this on as he bases this on top of some of Jackson’s old work and is able to take things to a place where he doesn’t really have to reference the person who he is honouring with this mixtape. You have Talib Kweli acting as a guest here and I felt that his flows were a nice addition to it.
After fixing up a recording where Rhymefest talks of why he’s not making it in the game, and the Michael tell him (thorough an interview which was clearly based around his views on race and how it influences the music which he creates) here you have Rhymefest rapping on top of The Jackson 5’s emotive version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” to come out with h one of the most sombre tunes on the whole project.
**Five Stars**
10. “Caught Up” (Lude)
11. “Foolin’ Around”
Following a track the two of them are heard o talk about what they get up to whilst in the bedroom, you get a tune which elaborates upon this as you get a tune which really sounds to take on a form which reflects the sort of tracks which filled-out Rhymefest’s 2006 debut album as the production takes on a style which was popular as a Kanye West had just made it big in the game. You get Black Sheep’s Dres appearing here for a little added help too.
12. “Set The Mood” (Lude)
13. “Breakadawn”
Using the song which is given in the title, the track prior to this one uses that MJ tune just as this one does and it finds that he takes things to a place where he is able to really calm things down significantly in order to just get to a place where he is able to get into a mind state where he is able to take the time to talk of how much he appreciates the artists’ contribution to the music world and popular culture since 1969.
**Five Stars**
14. “Windbreaker” (Lude)
15. “Higher” (Intro)
16. “Higher”
You get a banger of a tune here as after a couple of funny little snippets, you have Rhymefest taking things in a completely new direction as he gets into one where he is able to take things back in a different way and this time rather than finding this through MJ’s material, he chooses to take it to the legends of the Rap game and here on some Breakbeats gets down to one where he take son the style of Big Daddy Kane as he gets busy with speed raps.
**Five Stars**
17. “Mark vs. Mike” (Lude)
18. “All That I’ve Got”
After getting Michael mimicking the British accent which they make out to be that of Mark Ronson’s you get Rhymefest getting into one where he calms which down even more in order to get down to killer flows which are seen to take on a subject which moves on away from all of what else you get on the album for one which would be fit for a single as Mary J. Blige and Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah assist ‘Fest.
**Five Stars**
19. “Maybe Tomorrow”
On this one you have one where the MC lays back on the rhymes and gives Michael a time to shine with his vocals from some of his seventies work. It is a nice song and holds it up nicely as he comes with another brief break to give people a chance to appreciate the singer when his vocals were at their top condition when he was in his pre-“Off The Wall” years and the MC adds adlibs along the way.
**Five Stars**
20. “Sunshine” (Lude)
21. “Coolie High”
With this you have a track which uses some more of the emotive throwback material from him (which was sampled in LL Cool J’s “Hey Lover” with Boyz II Men – who are referenced through the title of this song) . Here you have a joint where ‘Fest gets back to some proper flows and does so as Camp Lo are seen to back him up and show some support for what he is doing here by giving some supportive work to give it that little extra something.
**Five Stars**
22. “Family Reunion” (Lude)
23. “Much Love (Lude)
24. “Man In The Mirror”
Ending the album off, you have the titular track from the mixtape and it finds that ‘Fest ends it in the best way by laying down the titular tune from the project and having him managing to bring in the themes of the original song from the artist to make it match the circumstances which he grew up on. It is a killer remix to the tune and by just having Michael sing for the chorus, and the verse which follows on from it, seems to bring much more out of it.
**Five Stars**
This is a big mixtape from Rhymefest, an MC who can’t really do weak tunes, and what you get from this well-thought out album is something which you can’t do without (if you are a Michael Jackson fan). I felt that it was better that it was done when the artist was alive, as it wasn’t rushed in the way it probably would once he had just gone, and so you have a well-developed project which uses all the available resources to make a mixtape which honours the legend and sounds genuinely as if Michael and Rhymefest came together (with Mark Ronson) to make a proper remix album together.
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